Rachel Rockwell (Director) makes her directorial debut at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she has choreographed The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet and Measure for Measure. Recent directing/choreography credits include: Ragtime, Miss Saigon (Jeff Nomination, Best Musical and Best Director), The Wizard of Oz (Drury Lane Oakbrook); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Jeff Nomination, Best Musical), Les Misérables (associate director - Jeff Award, Best Musical), Nunsense, A Christmas Carol, Disney's High School Musical, Seussical the Musical, Disney's Aladdin (The Marriott Theatre); John and Jen (Apple Tree Theatre); You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! (Drury Lane Water Tower Place); and Married Alive (Noble Fool Theatricals). Choreography credits include: The King and I (Jeff Nomination, Drury Lane Oakbrook); Up, Lost Land, The Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Houdini, The Wizard of Oz and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? (The Marriott Theatre). Regional credits include productions with the Maryland Shakespeare Festival, New Harmony Theatre, The Little Theatre On The Square, McLeod Summer Playhouse and ISU Summer Stage. Upcoming projects include A Chorus Line (The Marriott Theatre);It’s A Wonderful Life and Radio Play (Noble Fool Theatricals).

Alan Schmuckler (Music and Lyrics) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back? (co-written with Michael Mahler) premiered in 2007 and has since been produced nationwide, including at Northwestern University, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and most recently at the National Alliance for Music Theatre's 21st Annual Festival of New Musicals. Acting credits at Chicago Shakespeare include: Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew, The Three Musketeers, The Two Noble Kinsmen and Much Ado About Nothing. Upcoming projects include Boyfred, a musical TV series (Sony and ABC) and a new adaptation of Charles L. Mee's Summertime, with Jessica Redish (The Music Theatre Company). Mr. Schmuckler's music and lyrics have been featured in the National Alliance for Music Theatre's 2005 New Works Summit and 2007 Songwriters' Showcase, Chicago's "Monday Nights, New Voices" series, and the York Theatre Company's NEO6 Benefit Concert. Mr. Schmuckler is a Joseph Jefferson-nominated actor, a graduate of Northwestern University, and a member of AEA and ASCAP.

David Holstein (Book) makes his Chicago Shakespeare Theater debut. His writing credits include: The B-Team (Dad's Garage Theatre, published with Original Works); True Genius (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, published with Original Works); Anne Frankenstein: The Musical (Audience and Finalist Awards at Sydney's 2008 Short and Sweet Festival, Newton Theatre); and Saints in Strange Places (Appetite Theatre). Television writing credits include three seasons with Weeds (Writers Guild Award nomination, Showtime) and Gigantic (TeenNick). Mr. Holstein is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Shawn Stengel (Music Director) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where he previously conducted The Wizard of Oz. Other Chicago credits include: Wicked, Billy Elliot (Oriental Theatre); Stephen Sondheim's Bounce, Kander & Ebb's The Visit (Goodman Theatre); Sweet Charity (Drury Lane Oakbrook); West Side Story, and Funny Girl (The Marriott Theatre). National tours include: Cats, Crazy for You, Peter Pan, and And the World Goes 'Round. Directing credits include: Pump Boys and Dinettes, Radio Gals, Sweeney Todd, and Always...Patsy Cline.

Kevin Depinet (Scenic Designer) makes his Chicago Shakespeare Theatre debut. Other Chicago credits include American Buffalo, Dublin Carol, First Look Repertory of new plays 08 and 09, and Associate Designer August Osage County (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Crowd You’re In With, High Holidays (The Goodman Theatre); What The Butler Saw (Court Theatre); Oh Coward (Writers Theatre); Miss Saigon, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Ragtime (Drury Lane). Regional Credits include American Buffalo (McCarter Theatre); Another Part of the Forest, Comedy of Errors (American Players Theatre); The Complete Work of William Shakespeare (Illinois Shakespeare Festival); and Around the World in 80 days (Indiana Repertory). Mr. Depinet recently finished work on Michael Mann’s new film Public Enemies. He studied at Ball State University and The Yale School of Drama and is now an adjunct professor of design at DePaul University.

Debbie Baer (Costume Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she previously designed costumes for Disney’s Aladdin, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Funk it Up About Nothin’. Other Chicago design credits include: First Look Repertory of New Work (2007 & 2008), and Huck Finn (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); All The Fame of Lofty Deeds, Rose and the Rime (Jeff Nomination), The Nutcracker and Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe (The House Theatre of Chicago); Curtains (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Feast, Remember Me Like This, Aqui Estoy, God's Work (Albany Park Theater Project); Well (Next Theatre Company); The Puppetmaster of Lodz (Writers' Theatre); and Young Lady from Rwanda (Victory Gardens). Regional and Off Broadway credits include When the Messenger Is Hot (59E59 Theaters); and The Wiz, The Neverending Story (First Stage Children's Theatre). She was an invited designer at the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and is a company member of The House Theatre of Chicago.

Jesse Klug (Lighting Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his design credits include Disney’s Aladdin, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CPS Shakespeare! Macbeth, How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, The Three Musketeers and Seussical! The Musical. Other Chicago credits include work at: The Marriott Theatre, Noble Fool Theatricals, Teatro Vista at Steppenwolf, Porchlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Uma Productions, Chicago Dramatists, Writers' Theatre and Timeline Theatre Company. Off Broadway Credits include The Screw Tape Letters (Westside Arts and the National Tour); The Elaborate Entrance of Chat Deity (Second Stage); Romulus (Guggenheim Museum); The Hourglass (NYMF). Regional credits include work with: Cullio Center BoarsHead Theatre, and Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. Mr. Klug received an After Dark Award for Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre), a Jeff Award for Hedwig and the Angry Inch (American Theatre Company). Mr. Klug is the resident lighting designer for Drury Lane Oakbrook, Route 66, and Chicago Tap Theatre.

James Savage (Sound Designer) is head of the sound department at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his sound design credits include: CPS! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Disney’s Aladdin, Twelfth Night, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CPS Shakespeare! Macbeth, Funk it Up About Nothin’, Willy Wonka, Othello, CPS Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, Passion, How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, CPS Shakespeare! Hamlet, Hamlet, A Flea in Her Ear, The Princess and the Pea, Seussical! The Musical, Peter Pan, Much Ado About Nothing, A Little Night Music, and work on other CST productions since 2002. His special effects design credits include: Richard III, Macbeth and Cymbeline. He has served as the lead mix engineer with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Regional design credits include sound design for Sondheim’s Saturday Night and assistant sound design for Hot Mikado (University of Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music).

Melissa Veal (Wig and Makeup Designer) has designed wigs and makeup at Chicago Shakespeare for over 40 productions, including: Disney’s Aladdin, Willy Wonka, How Do You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, Seussical the Musical, The Taming of the Shrew, Private Lives, Richard III, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Amadeus, The Comedy of Errors, Othello, Passion, Troilus and Cressida, The Three Musketeers, Hamlet, A Flea in Her Ear, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 (at CST and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon), Much Ado About Nothing, The Molière Comedies, A Little Night Music, Rose Rage: Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3(at CST and The Duke on 42nd Street), and as wig supervisor for The School for Scandal. She worked with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for 10 seasons, where she received four Tyrone Guthrie Awards, including the Jack Hutt Humanitarian Award. Ms. Veal was the recipient of the 2007 Hurkes Award for Artisans and Technicians.